1:10 PM | *JPSS-1 polar-orbiting weather satellite set to launch on Wednesday*

NOAA's next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellite, JPSS-1, is on the launch pad. In this image, courtesy of the United Launch Alliance and NASA, the satellite is encapsulated atop the Delta II rocket that will take it into space tomorrow (11/15) morning at 1:47 am PST (4:47 am EST). 

Overview
Weather satellite data is critical to the accuracy of computer forecast models used by forecasters and the JPSS-1 polar orbiter – now set to launch on Wednesday at 4:47 AM (ET) - will be extremely valuable in that regard.  The launch of NOAA’s next-generation polar-orbiting weather satellite was set for today at Vandenberg AFB, but was scrubbed due to a late launch vehicle alarm.  The satellite is sitting atop the Delta II rocket that will take it into space early on Wednesday.

Discussion
Once in orbit, the JPSS-1 will circle the globe 14 times per day producing two complete views of the weather around the world every 24 hours.  According to NOAA, data from JPSS-1 will support a broad range of environmental monitoring applications including weather analysis and forecasting, climate research and prediction, global sea surface temperature measurements, atmospheric soundings of temperature and humidity, ocean dynamics research, volcanic eruption monitoring, forest fire detection, global vegetation analysis, search and rescue, and many other applications. The most important function of JPSS, however, is that it will increase the timeliness and accuracy of forecasts three to seven days in advance of a severe weather event. NOAA's National Weather Service uses JPSS temperature and moisture data and a host of other variables as a critical input for numerical forecast models, providing the basis for these mid-range forecasts. 

JPSS satellites also provide support for zero- to three-day operational forecasting, which is particularly important in Polar Regions where other observational data are sparse. In Alaska, JPSS provides critical data for nearly all of the weather forecasting for aviation, as well as for the economically vital maritime, oil and gas industries.

JPSS-1 is just the first of four polar-orbiters in this series lasting through 2038 that will monitor the Earth as it rotates below ensuring uninterrupted service over the poles.  The relatively low-altitude polar orbiters will work in concert with the more familiar Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites -- GOES -- weather stations that provide hemispheric views from their lofty perches 22,300 miles above the equator.JPSS-1 will provide data six times faster than earlier satellites and could manage data up to six times the resolution.  

JPSS 1 is equipped with five state-of-the-art instruments:
•    The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder to measure atmospheric temperature and moisture, day or night, regardless of cloud cover; built by Northrup Grumman Electronic Systems.
•    The Cross-Track Infrared Sounder, designed to collect 2,000 channels of extremely precise temperature and moisture readings from areas with clear skies; built by Harris Corp.
•    The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, which will collect visible light and infrared imagery for global observations of land, atmosphere and oceans; built by Raytheon Co.
•    The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite, which will measure ozone concentrations in the atmosphere and monitor the "ozone hole" over Antarctica; built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corp.
•    The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System, or CERES, which will monitor how Earth absorbs and reflects solar radiation; built by Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

NASA TV will provide live coverage of the launch at 4:15 am (ET).  

Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Vencore, Inc.
vencoreweather.com